Gene cloning and expression of new trehalose-producing enzymes from the hyperthermophilic archaeum Sulfolobus solfataricus KM1.

The genes encoding for trehalose-producing enzymes, a glycosyl-trehalose-producing enzyme (glycosyltransferase) and a gylcosyl-trehalose-hydrolyzing enzyme (alpha-amylase), from Sulfolobus solfataricus KM1 were cloned and expressed in E. coli. The nucleotide sequence of the glycosyltransferase gene and the alpha-amylase gene indicated proteins with lengths of 728 and 558 amino acids and molecular masses of 86-kDa and 65-kDa, respectively. Regions highly conserved in the alpha-amylase family exist in the amino acid sequences of these enzymes.